Key Highlights
- Uniswap founder Hayden Adams alleges Sam Bankman-Fried paid a seven-figure sum for the Uniswap.com domain and redirected it to the SushiSwap fork in 2021.
- A World Intellectual Property Organization panel ordered the domain transferred to Uniswap Labs in September 2021 after finding it had been registered and used in bad faith.
- Uniswap.com now redirects to the official Uniswap application, while Bankman-Fried’s 25-year fraud sentence was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in June 2026.
Adams Reveals Bankman-Fried’s Alleged Domain Purchase
Uniswap founder Hayden Adams disclosed on September 21, 2026 that Sam Bankman-Fried purchased the Uniswap.com domain for a seven-figure sum after Uniswap Labs declined to meet the original owners’ asking price. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Adams wrote: “Fun fact, the og owners of https://t.co/bRvDs5brca wanted 7 figures, but we refused to pay that amount So SBF bought it (for 7 figures) and pointed it to a fork – I guess to flex / mess with usThis malicious use of the domain was enough for our legal team to get it for free https://t.co/ZV0yJhdvZg” Adams characterized Bankman-Fried’s motive as speculative, stating: “I guess to flex / mess with us,” while discussing the possible reasoning behind the redirect.
WIPO Domain Dispute Proceedings Confirm Bad Faith Use
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case record substantiates key elements of Adams’ account. Uniswap Labs filed a complaint in May 2021 after discovering that Uniswap.com was redirecting visitors to SushiSwap, a decentralized exchange created as a fork of the Uniswap protocol. Contemporary reporting from The Block documented the redirect at the time, while SushiSwap contributor 0xMaki denied the SushiSwap team had purchased the domain.
A three-member WIPO panel reviewed evidence including a screenshot dated May 18, 2021 and archived Wayback Machine records showing the domain resolving to a SushiSwap webpage. The panel described SushiSwap as operating in the same financial market as Uniswap Labs. The respondent, identified in the proceeding as Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC / Future XXX of Hong Kong, contested parts of the case, arguing that SushiSwap was an open-source derivative and disputing the redirect’s establishment. The panel rejected these arguments after reviewing additional evidence.
The decision, issued September 3, 2021, found that Uniswap Labs held registered rights to the UNISWAP trademark and that the domain was identical to that mark. The panel determined the SushiSwap redirect did not qualify as bona fide use and created a high risk of implied affiliation. WIPO concluded the domain had been registered and used in bad faith, noting the respondent acquired the domain on April 7, 2021—years after the protocol’s creation—and had knowledge of Uniswap Labs beforehand. The domain was ordered transferred to Universal Navigation Inc., which operates as Uniswap Labs, under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy without requiring purchase from the respondent.
Bankman-Fried’s Documented SushiSwap Involvement Provides Context
Bankman-Fried had a documented role with SushiSwap months before the domain dispute. In September 2020, SushiSwap creator Chef Nomi transferred control of the project to Bankman-Fried during a governance crisis after withdrawing tokens from the developer fund. Bankman-Fried helped oversee SushiSwap’s migration before control moved toward a multisignature structure. This historical relationship contextualizes Adams’ statement, though neither the WIPO record nor contemporary reporting independently establishes Bankman-Fried’s ownership of Uniswap.com. The WIPO respondent was represented by Australian law firm Cornwalls, and the published decision does not name Bankman-Fried as Future XXX or disclose a seven-figure transaction.
Current Domain Status and Ongoing Trademark Enforcement
As of September 21, 2026, Uniswap.com redirects directly to the official Uniswap application at app.uniswap.org. Uniswap Labs maintains trademark guidelines stating third parties should not use UNISWAP, $UNI, or UNISWAP LABS trademarks in domain names or create names suggesting false affiliation. The company’s support directory identifies Uniswap.org as the official website and app.uniswap.org as the trading interface, with Uniswap.com functioning as a redirect.
Why This Matters
The Uniswap.com dispute illustrates how trademark law and domain dispute resolution mechanisms can protect decentralized protocol brands against malicious redirection, even when the underlying software is open source. The WIPO panel’s ruling established that open-source licensing does not permit unauthorized use of trademarked names in domains to create confusion or imply affiliation. For the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem, the case demonstrates that traditional intellectual property frameworks remain effective tools for protecting users from phishing, impersonation, and brand dilution. The alleged involvement of Bankman-Fried—later convicted of fraud in the FTX collapse—adds a notable layer to the narrative of early DeFi competitive dynamics, though the WIPO decision rested on trademark and bad-faith findings rather than the identity of the domain purchaser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the WIPO panel name Sam Bankman-Fried as the purchaser of Uniswap.com?
No. The WIPO decision identified the respondent as Registration Private, Domains By Proxy, LLC / Future XXX of Hong Kong and does not name Bankman-Fried as the domain purchaser or disclose a seven-figure transaction. Adams’ allegation is based on his own knowledge and has not been independently confirmed by the WIPO record.
What was the basis for WIPO transferring Uniswap.com to Uniswap Labs?
The panel found that Uniswap Labs held registered trademark rights to UNISWAP, the domain was identical to that mark, and the respondent had registered and used the domain in bad faith by redirecting it to SushiSwap, creating a high risk of implied affiliation. The transfer was ordered under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy without requiring Uniswap Labs to purchase the domain.
Where does Uniswap.com redirect today?
As of September 21, 2026, Uniswap.com redirects directly to the official Uniswap trading interface at app.uniswap.org. Uniswap.org remains the company’s primary official website.
